Local

A suspect in a traffic stop died after eating illegal narcotics. That’s according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The man is identified as 34-year-old Gerard Cowherd of Charlottesville. A deputy says Cowherd kept driving after an attempted traffic stop on Black Level Road in Orange County. A pursuit ended on Baker Street in Gordonsville where Cowherd was taken into custody. The Orange Sheriff’s Office says Cowherd initially resisted arrest, and he told the deputy that he had ingested illegal drugs. Cowherd died later at Martha Jefferson Hospital.